Personal recovery concept used to develop successful program evaluation (Israel)

April 21, 2011

A recent article in the Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciencesdiscusses a new way of using the concept of recovery in clinical settings to assess the success of mental health services. The article details the difference between traditional (clinical) approaches to recovery and personal recovery, as defined by individuals with mental health issues.

While traditional recovery uses service provider perspective regarding best course of action (often emphasizing symptom reduction and effective treatments), a personal recovery approach allows for recovery to happen outside the mental health system, with or without symptom reduction. The report indicates that at a national and regional level, the concept of personal recovery is well accepted, but service delivery at the local level has made much less progress in this direction.

Quality standards exist for use in clinical care, however these standards are infrequently applied. Furthermore, an accreditation process for the use of recovery has not been established.

The author calls for increased consideration of two domains referred to as belief and discourse markers. The use of new belief systems (empowering the consumer to make their own choice) and a shift in language (for example, resilience instead of recovery) will enable clinicians to identify and evaluate successful service delivery outcomes.